Quest For Potion
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: A terrible plague has swept across the Mushroom Kingdom. Nearly all of the Toad denizens living within the Kingdom had been stricken ill, a few had even perished as a result of this horrible disease. Princess Peach, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, has chosen to set out on a quest to find a cure for the plague and save her people from a gruesome demise. But who will save Mario?


Climbing up and out of the large green Warp Pipe situated in the heart of the ancient and untouched jungle, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi took in the sight of the eternally green, thick flora that enveloped the land with vines and leaves. The smell of fresh growth mixed with old growth was a pleasant aroma that seemed to ease the tense adventurers who had reluctantly traveled to this unsettled, untouched land.

Mario lead the way for a few yards before pausing in an attempt to gain his bearings. "I can't see anything beyond these trees, but I can smell fresh water. We must be close to the Village."

Luigi, who had been following close by with a large brown backpack on his back, stopped beside Mario and pulled an old, time beaten map from a side pocket on the backpack. "Here, let's check the map again. We don't want to get lost."

"Good idea." Mario took one half of the map as Luigi unfolded it. "Let's figure out where we are..."

Princess Peach, who wisely had chosen to wear more appropriate clothing for this expedition; long pink cargo pants, a white tank top with a pink cargo vest over top, pink hiking boots and her long, blonde hair pulled up into a neat ponytail, joined the two Brothers and examined the map as well. "Well if the Warp Pipe is here," she pointed to the near center of the map. "and the waterfall is over there," she traced a path with her finger. "all we have to do is follow the river upstream."

"Sounds good to me." Mario agreed, handing the map back to Luigi. "We better move it, too!"

"Yeah." Luigi tucked the map back into his backpack. "I'd hate to leave the Mushroom Kingdom for too long, especially with the Spore Plague in full swing."

"Oh, those poor Toads!" Peach's heart went out to her people. "I hope Mugga the Medicine Woman can help!"

Yoshi nuzzled Peach's arm sympathetically as the green dino tagged along with the group of courageous heroes. Petting Yoshi's nose affectionately she smiled at the always optimistic beast. "Let's keep going." Peach encouraged confidently. "The Mushroom Kingdom needs us."

The early morning sun rose high into the sky as noon crept upon the traveling group. The smell of fresh flowing water had grown strong indicating that they were in fact on the right path. A path full of winding, tangling vines, sand pits, wild Cobrats, Volcano Plants, Fuzzies and other massive beasts that could only be found in the steamy tropical jungle.

Mario stood at the center of a small clearing in the dense flora and took off his cap to fan himself with it. "We have to be getting close, I can hear the water flowing."

"Yeah," Luigi agreed as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "I bet we're just a few yards from the river."

Peach and Yoshi joined the two and took their own moment to pause and catch their breath. "I hope you're right. We need to get back as soon as possible." She reminded her the heroic Brothers. "I wonder how-"

A passing fireball caught their attention as it easily sliced through the green foliage, leaving a gaping hole of burnt leaves and smoldering embers.

"Whoa!" Luigi exclaimed as he turned on his heels to face the location of the flaming projectile. "Where'd that come from?"

A distinct, cruel roar answered his question as Bowser's massive body came barrelling through the jungle. Vines snapped as his hulking form charged through the dense flora. The sound of breaking branches and tearing leaves gave away his position just as easily as his thunderous footsteps that shook the entire jungle.

Mario pointed at the incoming foe and replaced his cap. "Run! Bowser's after us!"

Without a word of protest Luigi, Peach and Yoshi all followed after Mario as he lead the way through the jungle and hopefully toward safety. The ground trembled wildly with of Bowser's hastily approaching footsteps. Mario struggled to push the massive leaves out of his way while also watching hos footing for lifted roots and uneven terrain.

"Quick, this way!" Mario shouted to his friends as he saw the light on the other side of the leaves, which meant a larger space to run through.

"Why is Bowser here anyway?!" Luigi shouted as he easily kept pace with Mario. "How did he find us!?"

"I don't know!" Mario panted back his response. "But keep running!"

As Mario broke through the treeline he lost his footing on the looser ground and unexpected stones. As he fell forward he disturbed a nest of Cobrats. One of the largest of the red snakes bit into Mario's right leg and unleashed its venom.

"Gah!" Mario cried out in sudden pain as he jumped up in shock. "I've been snake bit!"

"Mario?!" Luigi heard Mario cry out as he too broke through the treeline.

Spotting Mario laying unconscious on his back on the ground with the offending Cobrat still latched on his leg, Luigi rushed to his Brother's side. Pulling the red serpent from Mario's leg, its fangs leaving two perfectly symmetrical, bleeding puncture wounds in his calf, Luigi tossed the snake to the side and lifted Mario up from the ground into a sitting position.

Shaking Mario to try and rouse him Luigi began calling his name. "Mario? Mario? Wake up!"

Peach and Yoshi emerged from the treeline only a few paces behind Luigi and quickly stood behind the two Brothers. The small tears in Mario's pant leg and two dripping wounds was all Peach needed to see to know that Mario had been injured by a Cobrat bite.

The trembling ground and loud roaring instantly reminded the group that they were being pursued by Bowser and needed to keep moving.

"Quick, pick him up!" Peach instructed Luigi while pointing in the proper direction of the waterfall. "We have to get out of here!"

With a single swift motion Luigi scooped Mario up into his arms and began running in the direction given by Peach. She and Yoshi ran behind Luigi, who managed to move at an impressively quick speed despite Mario's dead weight in his arms and the heavy backpack still strapped to his back.

Fireballs raced by the heroes as they continued to flee from Bowser. The massive Koopas footsteps continued to shake the ground with each of his angry stomps. Roars that deafened the air and snarls that chilled the blood became steadily quieter as the heroes managed to put some considerable distance between themselves and Bowser.

Using the river as a guide Luigi, Peach and Yoshi ran along the riverbank, upstream, until they came to the crashing wake of the waterfall.

"Now what do we do?" Luigi asked as he anxiously scanned the area for another escape route between glances down at Mario in his arms.

Before Peach could reply a loud yell came from the nearby treetops as a jungle Toad swung down toward the group on a long green vine. Landing with a soft 'thud' in front of Peach the jungle Toad; adorned with a brown mushroom cap with green spots and a brown tunic, began speaking to her in some lost primitive language.

Luigi and Yoshi couldn't understand a word but somehow Peach could. She was able to reply in the jungle Toad's same native tongue!

"What did he say?" Luigi asked curiously.

"The rough translation is: 'Go this way'." She answered confidently, nearly shouting over the thunderous waterfall.

"Huh?" Luigi was unsure about where Peach wanted go. "This way _where_?"

"This way!" Peach pointed to the waterfall.

The helpful jungle Toad slipped behind the waterfall and into a hidden cave. Peach, Luigi and Yoshi all followed their unexpected guide and found shelter behind the crashing water.

"Shh!" Peach put a finger to her lips as she listened to Bowser's roars and thunderous footsteps.

Bowser drew ever closer to the waterfall, his massive body silhouetted by the sunlight against the cascading barrier that protected the fleeing heroes. Unable to find a trail to follow the rage fueled Koopa let out a roar of frustration as he stomped off in the opposite direction, spewing hot, orange fireballs with each step.

"He's gone..." Peach breathed a sigh of relief. "We're okay."

"Not all of us." Luigi blandly stated as he looked down at Mario's face.

Peach and Yoshi also looked at Mario who was still unconscious in Luigi's arms. The sound of idle chatter and whispered, unknown words caught their attention. Looking up the heroes saw a modest tribe of jungle Toads staring at them in awe.

The jungle Toad tugged on Luigi's pant leg and pointed to a second chamber inside the cave.

Following the jungle Toad Luigi, Peach and Yoshi were led into the secondary chamber where a bright orange campfire was burning. Sitting on the other side of the fire, wrapped in a purple hooded robe, was a veiled figure who was speaking to herself in the same native tongue of the jungle Toads. In front of her was a large stone cauldron full of a strange boiling green elixir that she was focused on entirely, ignoring her guests.

"Look, it's Mugga the medicine woman!" Peach happily declared. "Maybe she can help Mario!"

Luigi paid no attention to the woman as he laid Mario on the cave floor beside the fire. He knelt beside Mario and watched as his Brother remained blissfully unaware of the world around him. Checking Mario's leg Luigi found the fresh Cobrat bite was no longer bleeding but it was starting to show signs of infection.

Mugga finished with her concoction and took off her hood. She looked at the Princess, Yoshi, Luigi and finally Mario.

Excitedly Mugga pointed at Mario and began speaking in the same unknown language as she used her other hand to point at the cave wall.

"What did she say?" Luigi asked Peach as he stayed beside Mario, never looking away.

"Look!" She pointed at the cave wall behind Luigi. "It's Mario!"

Turning his gaze to look at the image Luigi simply shrugged it off and returned his attention to Mario. "Forget the stupid picture, what about the _real_ Mario?"

Taking the heavy backpack from his shoulders Luigi set in on the ground next to Mario and opened it up. Tucked away inside were emergency Power-Ups and a bottles of water. One by one Luigi offered the Power-Ups to Mario, hoping to invoke some kind of response.

"Super Mushroom?" Luigi held it in the palm of his hand over Mario's chest.

Mario didn't respond, he remained very still and quiet as his unconsciousness lingered on.

"Fire Flower?" Luigi offered the next Power-Up but received the same lack of response. "Star Man?" Nothing. "Super Feather?"

Mario never budged from his weakened state.

"C'mon Mario, wake up! Please wake up!" Tears began running down Luigi's face as he realized how serious Mario's condition truly was.

Mugga sympathetically patted Luigi's shoulder as he began silently weeping into his hands. She offered healing words as well, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

Peach looked back at the painting on the wall and saw there was a depiction of Luigi as well! And in Luigi's hands was a vial of some kind of liquid. Certain she was discerning the images correctly Peach had an idea. "Luigi, look! You're there, too!"

Luigi stopped crying and wiped his eyes as he looked up at the princess.

"If we can make some of that potion in the image then I'm sure we can cure Mario!"

"Really?" Luigi enthusiastically got to his feet and studied the wall carefully. "But how? This is a really primitive landscape. How're we going to make a potion way out here?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure Mugga can help us. Right?"

The elderly medicine woman smiled warmly at Peach and nodded. Despite the poor communication she seemed to be able to understand her guests perfectly well. Mugga took a slender burning log from the rise, slowly rose to her feet and on shaking, elderly legs shuffled to the far end of the cave. In the deepest portion of the cave the stone wall was covered in various scrolls and tapestries, each depicting the proper recipe and ingredients for unique medicines, potions and elixirs.

Mugga pointed to a scroll near the center of the wall and illuminated it with her makeshift torch. She called for Peach to join her, which the respectful princess happily obliged.

"Luigi, this is it!" Peach yelled back to the concerned Brother who was still hovering protectively over Mario. "We can make the potion in no time! All we need to do is find some Ember Berries, Jade Mushrooms and Crystal Spring Water!"

"That's all?"

"That's all. Mix it all together, let it boil and Mario will be back on his feet in no time!"

Luigi looked down at Mario's steadily paling face and nodded his head in agreement. "Let's do it!"

Peach thanked Mugga in the medicine woman's language before rejoining Luigi. "We should hurry. I also asked Mugga for the cure to the Spore Plague. It'll take a while for her to brew it properly, so by the time we return with Mario's cure the other cure should be finished."

"Right," Luigi put his hand on Yoshi's nose as the green dino approached quietly. "if we work together we'll get everything and everyone taken care of in no time!"

Mugga slowly walked over to Mario and kneeled down next to the poisoned hero. With a warm smile she reassured the heroic trio that their friend was in good hands and would be taken care of during their absence.

Luigi climbed onto Yoshi's saddled and extended his hand for Peach to join him. "Yoshi can traverse this jungle easier than either of us, but we'll still need the map."

"Right!" Peach opened the backpack on the cave floor beside Mario and retrieved the map. She also took a bottle of the water from the bag and secured it to a lace on her belt. "We'll need this to carry the spring water." She explained as she took Luigi's hand and climbed onto Yoshi's saddle.

Peach wrapped her arms around Luigi's waist as Yoshi took off from the secretive cave behind the waterfall in a steady trot. There was no sign of Bowser or any other immediate threat outside of the cave. Bowser's footprints weren't fresh and his roars were inaudible. Of course with the thunderous crashing of the waterfall it was difficult to hear anything.

Luigi patted the side of Yoshi's neck. "It's clear. Let's go!"

Yoshi nodded his head as he began dashing off back into the jungle. Peach kept one arm wrapped around Luigi's waist as she used her free hand to unfold the map. "Okay Yoshi, take a right on the next trail and we'll be in the marsh where the Jade Mushrooms grow."

Yoshi took the first right he came to as the trail forked into two directions. Following the partially concealed, overgrown pathway into the densely green jungle the smell of stagnant water from the sitting marsh filled the air. The firm ground beneath Yoshi's feet began to weaken and grow softer as the muddy earth caused by the swampy terrain stretched over the land.

"We have to be close." Luigi commented as Yoshi's slowed down, his feet getting stuck in the thick mud. "I can smell the water and there's alot of muck around here."

Peach focused on the map and held it out for Luigi to see. "I think it's beyond those vines."

"Right, stay here." Luigi hopped down from Yoshi's saddle, his brown boots sinking into the mud in an instant. "I'll go take a look."

"Be careful." Peach warned.

"I will. You two step back a few yards, we don't want Yoshi to get stuck in place."

"Good idea."

While Luigi clumsily tread further into the marsh Yoshi, with Peach on his saddle, tentatively returned to the end of the trail from whence they came.

The sound of Luigi's soggy footsteps echoed through the jungle as he explored the marsh in search of the needed Jade Mushrooms. Step by slow, cumbersome step Luigi walked further and further into the marsh, his eyes wide as he scanned the dark brown mud for any sign of a mushroom or bloom.

"Come on, where are you?" Luigi muttered to himself as he awkwardly stomped through the thick muck. Thrusting his hand into the mud Luigi began groping around for anything solid. "What? Ah-ha!" Luigi grabbed a hold of something growing in the mud. Pulling the item up and out of the muck Luigi opened his dirty fist and looked at his discovery. "Found one!"

Resting in the palm of Luigi's hand was a single Jade Mushroom. It's cape was a vivid, vibrant shade of green that was as pure and gorgeous as an emerald. The stem of the mushroom was a pearl white, despite being encased in the dark brown mud.

"Better get some more!" Luigi commented as he pocketed the single mushroom.

Digging his hands back through the marsh Luigi found six more mushrooms, each of varying size but all of similar beauty.

"This should do." As Luigi turned his back to the marsh to return to his companions he felt the ground shake in the distance and watched a ripple in the stagnant water expand outward. Luigi looked down at the water, staring at his own reflection as the earth shook again and created a second ripple. "Uh-oh..."

Running as fast as he could through the marsh and back through the vines Luigi spotted Yoshi and Peach waiting for him just outside the trail. "Go! Run!" Luigi yelled as he stumbled, tripped and nearly fell as he bolted from the marsh. "Bowser's back!"

Unwilling to leave Luigi behind Yoshi turned to run back down the trail while Peach took a hold of Yoshi's saddle and offered her other hand to Luigi. "Hurry!" She called back. "We need to hide!"

Luigi reach out his hand for Peach's and jumped onto Yoshi's saddle. Within seconds Luigi had wrapped his arms around Peach's waist and Yoshi and took off in a dead sprint. As soon as Yoshi set foot on the trail Bowser's hulking body came crashing through the vines and into the marsh after the heroic trio.

Roaring in anger and spewing fireballs through the jungle Bowser tore after the retreating heroes as they fled for their lives.

"I don't understand!" Luigi yelled as Yoshi sprinted toward safety. "Why is Bowser even here?!"

Peach responded with her own theory. "Maybe he thought the Spore Plague would give him the opportunity to take us out, but he didn't know that humans are immune!"

"So he followed us while he were away from the Mushroom Kingdom..." Luigi understood Peach's logic. "What a cowardly opportunist!"

Thinking quickly Yoshi took a sharp turn off the trail and into the jungle. After dodging Bowser's line of sight the cleave dino took off into the flowing river and dove into the current. Swimming as hard and fast as possible Yoshi swam upstream against the current and reached the shoreline on the opposite side of the bank.

"Good move Yoshi!" Luigi praised as the group safely crossed the river.

Moving behind a large boulder resting on the riverbank the trio ducked down and kept silent as Bowser's roaring grew louder. Crashing through the thick trees Bowser blew out fireballs and skidded to a halt at the edge of the river. Just as before he was unable to find the trail of the heroes and let out a roar in frustration.

Stomping off back into the jungle the Koopa King attempted to find a new trail to follow.

The trio peeked around the boulder and watched as the spikes of Bowser's large shell disappeared from sight. Letting out a collective sigh of relief the heroes walked away from their shelter and sat by the riverbank.

"That was close!" Peach commented as she took the bottle of water from her belt and handed it to Luigi.

"Yeah, I'm glad we got out of the marsh before we were too tired to run!" Luigi took the water from Peach and took a drink. "Thanks."

Peach took the water back and handed it to Yoshi, who also took a drink. "I hope it was all worth it."

Luigi took the retrieved Jade Mushrooms from his pocket and showed it to Peach. "Yeah, it was worth it!"

"Oh! You found them!" Peach looked at the mushrooms in Luigi's hands and smiled. "Now we can move on!"

Luigi re-pocketed the items and took the opportunity to wash the drying mud from his gloves and boots in the river. "Where to next?"

Peach retrieved the map and and studied it. Tracing their movements from the marsh and to the river, she figured out their exact location and their next destination. "We're only a few miles from the Crystal Spring."

Wringing out his gloves Luigi walked over to Yoshi and patted his nose. "Good to know we're still on the right track."

"Let's get going!" Peach joined Luigi at Yoshi's side. Yoshi offered the last of the water to Peach who happily drank the remainder. "We can use this to collect the water." She reattached the now empty bottle her belt.

"Good plan." Luigi climbed back onto Yoshi's saddle and offered his hand to Peach. "Let's go!"

Peach climbed back onto Yoshi's saddle behind Luigi and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Okay, we follow the river upstream and climb over the crystal wall we'll find the spring." Folding the map back up Peach pointed in the proper direction. "Head North, Yoshi."

Nodding Yoshi took off at a leisurely trot, following the river and keeping a lookout for any other possible Bowser ambush.

Luigi glanced down at his wrist and looked at his watch. The idea of being too late was beginning to gnaw at him as they continued their search for the cure for Mario. "I hope we're not too late..."

Peach tightened her arms around his waist into a hug. "Don't worry Luigi, we'll be back sooner than you think."

"Yeah..." Luigi wanted to believe her, but his concern was too strong.

Yoshi overheard the conversation and picked up his pace.

The river's current was growing stronger as the trio neared the source of the flow. The smell of fresh water was a welcome change from the stagnant marsh and lingering embers from Bowser's fire. As the group drew closer to the spring the stones in the river transitioned from the smooth river rocks of the jungle to an assortment of precious gems and crystal shards that had flowed downstream from the spring.

"Wow," Peach was mesmerized by the abundance of precious stones guiding their path. "it's so beautiful!"

Luigi and Yoshi didn't pay any attention to the gems, instead they focused on the towering rock wall composed of shining crystals and jewels. Cascading over the edge of the towering, gorgeous wall was a flood of the purest, clearest water that anyone in the group had ever seen before.

"We're here!" Peach announced as Yoshi came to a stop.

"Yeah. And I'm going up there." Luigi declared as he slid off the saddle. "Hand me the bottle."

"What? Why don't you just collect the water from the fall?" She asked curiously as she unfastened the bottle from her belt.

"I just want to be sure we do this properly. I want to get the water from the spring itself, not its runoff."

"Alright," Peach handed him the bottle. "I understand."

Pulling his green cap down tightly over his hair Luigi tucked the bottle into his overall pocket, opposite the mushrooms, and took a firm grip on the rocks jutting out from the wall. Rock by rock Luigi took a hold of the natural ladder that was his only means of scaling the massive wall. Steadily Luigi ascended the staggering height, his grip becoming more perilous as the dripping water seeped down the wall at an increasing flow.

Luigi felt his hands beginning to weaken as reach the top of the wall. Pulling himself up and over the edge with his trembling hands and arms, he tumbled over the wall and splashed into the surprisingly deep spring. Breaking the surface of the water Luigi took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Finally..." As he kept his head above the surface of the water Luigi took the bottle from his pocket, opened the lid and let the required water flow hastily inside. Capping the bottle Luigi swam over to the edge of the spring and cautiously climbed up and stood on the edge of the rock wall. "Got it!"

Peach and Yoshi waved to acknowledge Luigi.

From the height at which he was standing Luigi could see a massive group of trees shaking violently. The trees all shook in a single line as if there was a single force careening through the jungle and it was heading in their direction.

"Bowser..." Luigi grumbled bitterly. "We have to keep moving!" Luigi called down. "Watch out, I'm going to jump down!"

Peach nodded and slipped off Yoshi's saddle and took a few steps back. Yoshi turned his back to the wall and braced himself for Luigi's landing.

Taking a breath and keeping a tight grip on the bottle as he took a focused leap from the top of the wall and down to Yoshi below. With a heavy and uncomfortable landing Luigi reached his target and returned to Yoshi's saddle in one fell swoop.

"We need to move!" Luigi shouted to Peach who was running back to Yoshi. "Bowser is tearing up the jungle!"

Peach hopped back onto Yoshi's saddle and wrapped her arms around Luigi's waist once more. "All we need are the Ember Berries and the Berry Patch is across the river and in the heart of the jungle!"

"Oh no..." Luigi handed the bottle to Peach who wisely secured it tightly to her belt. "Yoshi, we have to run through the berries and pick as many as we can without stopping!"

Yoshi nodded in approval as a look of determination flashed across his otherwise docile face. Bolting into the river as fast as he could run, Yoshi managed to cross the river and reach the opposite bank within seconds.

Dashing out of the strong current and back through the jungle Yoshi closed in on the Berry Patch at an incredible rate. The closer the trio came to the Berry Path the louder Bowser's roars became, the more the earth shook. Broken trees, snapped vines and torn up foliage were all that remained after Bowser's rampage through the jungle.

"Keep your eyes opened..." Luigi cautioned quietly. "he's close."

Feeling nervous Peach tightened her arms around Luigi's waist and leaned in closer, her head resting against his shoulders.

A wave of searing heat cut through the jungle, forcing the racing dino to skid to a halt to avoid the fiery attack. Just yards behind the wave of fire Bowser came charging through the trees and directly toward the stalled heroes.

"Run!" Luigi yelled out as he put one arm up to shield his face and eyes. "And don't stop!"

Yoshi jumped and fluttered over Bowser's head, dodging the charging Koopa with ease. As soon as his boots returned to the ground Yoshi sprinted off into the heart of the jungle, his mind focused only on locating the Berry Patch. Leaping over the fallen trees, uplifted roots and divots carved into the ground by Bowser's monstrous footsteps.

"Keep going!" Peach instructed as she pointed toward the direction of the Berry Patch. "It'll be behind those trees!"

Without a word or breaking pace Yoshi turned and rushed through the trees. Just behind the trees was a massive green bush full of ripe, bright red Ember Berries. Yoshi ran around the edge of the bush while Luigi and Peach reached out with one hand to collect as many berries as possible.

The perfectly spherical berries were unexpectedly warm and smell spicy in their eager hands.

Bowser launched a fireball and incinerated the center of the bush as he continued his pursuit.

Thinking quickly Yoshi turned and began running down the torched opening in the bush created by the fireball. The smoke and ash of the fire helped conceal their location as the trio finished collecting the berries.

"Good move, Yoshi!" Luigi praised the clever dino as he finished pocketing some of the berries. "Let's get back to Mario!"

Yoshi took off for the waterfall, using the trail as his guide. All the while Bowser was tearing through the jungle and belching destructive fire.

"There!" Peach pointed at the waterfall in the distance. "We can make it!"

With an adrenaline boost Yoshi managed to double his speed and slip behind the waterfall before Bowser cut through the trees. A small trail of dropped berries extended from the jungle and to the waterfall...

"We're back!" Luigi jumped from Yoshi's back and ran to Mario, who was still laying on the floor of the cave with Mugga looking after him. "Mario, we're back!"

Mario was still unconscious and was no suffering from a fever. Mugga had placed a cool cloth over his burning forehead in an attempt to soothe the fever. The bite on his leg had become infected.

"Oh no, Mario..." Luigi put his hand on top of the cool cloth and pressed it against Mario's forehead. "just hold on!"

Peach handed Mugga the bottle of water from her belt. "We have everything we need! Please, hurry." She then remembered that Mugga spoke another language and translated her words for the medicine woman.

Mugga nodded and took the water from Peach.

Luigi remembered the mushrooms and berries in his pockets and handed them to Mugga as well. "Is this enough?"

Mugga seemed to understand Luigi and smiled as she took the offered items. The medicine woman walked over to a small stone cauldron that was sitting over a unlit fire pit and poured in the Crystal Spring Water. Taking a smaller stone bowl she then smashed a generous amount of the Ember Berries into a pulp and tossed it into the cauldron with the water. Finally using a knife she then sliced up three of the Jade Mushrooms and added them to the cauldron and began mixing. Taking a torch from the larger bonfire in the center of the cave she lit a blaze beneath the cauldron and nodded.

"I hope this works..." Luigi anxiously spoke out loud.

Peach put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Everything will be fine. All she has to do is boil the medicine and-"

A deafening roar from Bowser thundered through the cave as Bowser burst through the waterfall. The native Toads who had been gathered in the cave ran for their lives while Luigi, Peach and Yoshi stood between the massive Koopa and Mario.

"YOU!" Bowser pointed at the heroes. "At last I've found you!"

From behind the trio Bowser spied Mario laying unconscious and helpless on the ground.

Laughing wickedly Bowser sneered with a sense of accomplishment. "Not feeling well? I can fix that... PERMANENTLY."

With another roar Bowser launched a massive fireball from his gaping maw and struck the ceiling of the cave. The incredibly powerful attack cracked the ceiling of the cave, allowing the flow of the waterfall above to leak through and flood the cave. Many items in the cave were washed away; the backpack, the extra berries and mushrooms and many of the other items that Mugga had collected over the years.

Bowser leapt back through the waterfall, laughing to himself the entire time. "Without your precious Mario the Mushroom Kingdom will be defenseless! See you on the other side!"

Luigi turned and grabbed onto Mario and kept this head above the water so he wouldn't drown. Peach and Yoshi worked to help Mugga hold the cauldron out of the water and keep it from washing away.

Loosened stones from the river above the cave washed into the cracked ceiling and sealed the opening, stopping the floor before it destroyed the entire cave.

"Oh no!" Luigi was still holding Mario in his arms. "The fire's out!"

Peach and Yoshi lowered the cauldron back down to the extinguished bonfire with a frown.

"The medicine isn't medicine unless it's boiled!" Luigi exclaimed sadly. "No fire, no medicine."

Mugga grinned at Luigi and took an ash covered stick from the bonfire pit and used it to draw on the wall. With a swift motion the unphased medicine woman drew a Fire Flower on the wall.

"It's a Fire Flower!" Peach shouted happily. "Luigi, your backpack!"

Luigi looked around and nearly panicked. "It's gone!"

Peach felt her heart skip a beat. "Now what do we do?!"

"We find it." Luigi said determinedly. "I'll find it. Stay here, keep Mario safe."

Peach wordlessly kneeled down next to Mario and held his head on her lap. "How are you going to find it?"

"Like this..." Luigi approached the waterfall where Bowser had exited and took a deep breath. Without a moment's hesitation Luigi jumped down the waterfall and into the crashing water below.

"LUIGI!?" Peach called out as he fearlessly, blindly dove into the waterfall.

Luigi found himself instantly submerged in the churning water as he reached the river below. The waves above created a foamy mist that made it difficult for him to see, so instead he used his hands to feel around and guide himself. Pulling himself around the river bottom by grabbing onto the rocks Luigi desperately searched for his missing backpack.

Just as Luigi's lungs began burning for a breath of fresh air he spotted the brown bag wedged between two rocks at the base of the fall. Reaching out he managed to grab the bag by one strap and began pulling it up and out of the rocks. He was losing his breath fast and was beginning to see spots, but he refused to surface without the bag.

With one final tug the bag came loose and Luigi was able to pull it close to his body as he kicked toward the surface. Darkness encroached his vision as the risk of unconsciousness honed in on him. Just as everything went dark he felt something wrapped around his hand and pull him the rest of the way out of the river and onto the bank.

Luigi gasped and took in the much needed breath of air as he kneeled on the riverbank. He felt a hand on his back, patting him to help him get the water out of his lungs and the air in.

"Th-thanks!" He sputtered as he slowly rose to his feet.

Yoshi nodded and chirped happily as he picked up the backpack and handed it to Luigi.

"C'mon," Luigi opened the bag and pulled out the Fire Flower. With a tight grip Luigi activated the power of the Fire Flower and let it flow into his body. His clothing changed color from green and blue, to green and white. "Mario needs us!"

Rushing back into the cave Luigi used the power of the Fire Flower to launch several fireballs at the doused bonfire pit to dry out and eventually reignite the timber. As the bonfire roared to life Luigi sighed and then focused on the larger fire pit in the center of the cave. Using the rest of his power Luigi returned the warm glow of the inviting fire to Mugga's cave.

"There..." Luigi fell to the ground on one knee exhausted. "done..." His clothes flashed as they returned to normal. However he was still soaked from his time in the marsh, the spring and the river.

Shivering he looked over at Mario, who was still resting on Peach's lap and frowned. Peach tried to give Luigi a reassuring smile but it wasn't enough.

Mugga resumed brewing the medicine at the cauldron. She was calm, complacent and all around a soothing presence. The medicine boiled for only a few minutes before Mugga used a ladle to gather a dose of the medicine and pour it into the bottle used to carry the spring water.

She walked over to Peach, bottle in hand, and spoke to her in the native language that only Peach understood.

"I see." Peach looked down at Mario and sighed. "We have to wait for the medicine to cool before he can give it to him."

Luigi was beginning to feel distraught. "How long will that be?!"

"I... I don't know." Peach confessed.

Luigi sat on the floor and pulled both of his legs up to his chest. Resting his head against his knees he wrapped his arms around his legs and sat in sad silence next to his poisoned Brother.

Mugga again put her hand on Luigi's shoulder to reassure the worried Brother before returning to her work. During their quest to find Mario's cure she had finished brewing the cure for the Spore Plague and was now packaging the powdered medicine for the heroes to take back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Handing the pouches of medicine to Peach, Mugga offered a small bottle of blue medicine to Luigi. She spoke in her same native tongue and Peach translated.

"She says that'll keep you from catching a cold, Luigi."

"Oh, thanks." Luigi drank the medicine and grimaced at the bitter taste. "I guess..."

Yoshi had been watching the scenes unfold near the entrance of the cave and finally decided to join his friends around the fire. The group sat together in uncomfortable silence as they waited for the medicine in the bottle to cool.

After what seemed like an eternity Luigi looked up and at the bottle. Reaching out slowly he put his hand on it and checked to see how warm it felt. It wasn't.

"Peach!" Luigi grabbed the bottle and sat on his knees beside Mario. "Lift his head, help him drink this!"

Peach did as she was instructed and gently lifted Mario's head so he could drink without choking.

Luigi opened the bottle, pressed it to Mario's lips and slowly poured the potion down Mario's throat.

After a few seconds Mario instinctively swallowed the potion and his hands began to twitch as his body began to react.

"It's working!" Luigi shouted as he watched Mario finally begin to stir.

Peach took the cloth from Mario's forehead and pressed her palm against it. "His fever's already going down!"

Luigi checked the bite mark on Mario's leg and smiled as he saw that it had begun fading from sight.

Mario's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes, focusing on Luigi. "Weege?"

"Yeah, it's me!"

Mario slowly sat up and looked around confused. "Where am I? What happened?"

"It's... It's-uh, a long story, Bro!" Luigi smiled. "But what's important is this story has a happy ending!"

 _ **-The End  
**_

 **Author's Note:** If this story seems familiar, it should! Heavily, if not totally, inspired by the episode 'Quest For Pizza' from 'The Super Mario Bros. Super Show'. A few changes here and there to made it more 'modern' and tie in more with the games.

Thank you to those who read and review; it's very much appreciated and I love getting feedback!

Also... If anyone has stumbled across any other FanFics based off the Super Show, could you message me with the titles? I've found a few but I can't seem to find any others! There was one I really enjoyed and I can't find it anymore. Could've sworn I faved it, hope it didn't get deleted...


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